24 Hours of Spa Race: Linkin Park and Mercedes-AMG rock the track

Première at the 24 Hours of Spa Race: For the first time, a Mercedes-AMG GT3 styled by world renown rock band Linkin Park sees action on the racetrack. Three of the band members, Chester Bennington, Dave Farrell and Joe Hahn are big car and AMG fans, and did not want to miss the opportunity to personally present the vehicle designed specifically for the motorsport classic in Spa to the crowd of racing enthusiasts. They even had the privilege of waving the start flag in Spa and frenetically cheered on the Mercedes-AMG driven by Yelmer Buurman (NED), Maro Engel (GER) and Bernd Schneider (GER) from the garage of the BLACK FALCON AMG Team. The Linkin Park GT3 is the second joint project as part of the 'Two Stages - One Passion' cooperation between Mercedes-AMG and Linkin Park. The band had already contributed their song 'Papercut' to the world première of the new Mercedes-AMG GT R in late June, providing the fitting sound for the international campaign.

The design of the Linkin Park GT3 with race number #00 was penned by DJ Joe Hahn, who is also a visual artist and director of many of the band's iconic videos. The car sports a striking red-black colour scheme on a silver base, with the Linkin Park logo dominantly displayed on the long bonnet, showing the musicians' enthusiasm for motorsport. The racing suits of the Linkin Park GT3 drivers match the design of the car. Prior to his career as a musician, Hahn together with guitarist and keyboardist, Mike Shinoda studied art and graphic design at the 'Art Center College of Design' in Pasadena, California.

'As an artist, being able to design a car as exquisite as the Mercedes-AMG GT3 was an amazing experience,' said Joe Hahn. 'It's also a dream come true to see it in action on the track.' Tobias Moers, chief executive officer of Mercedes-AMG, added: 'Apart from performance, important elements of our brand also include values such as perfection and passion. We did justice to these values in every respect with the historical fourfold victory at the 24 hour race at the Nürburgring. And with the vehicle designed by Linkin Park for the 24 hour race in Spa, we are also underlining the progressivity of Mercedes-AMG. A great design created by Linkin Park that forms the basis of an inspiring partnership.'

Eight Mercedes-AMG GT3 cars in all compete in the 24-hour race on the 'Ardennes Roller-Coaster' in Spa-Francorchamps. Apart from three vehicles of the BLACK FALCON Team, the HTP Motorsport Team also has three GT3 cars in the race. The field of AMG cars is rounded off by two vehicles of the French AKKA ASP Team. The 24 Hours of Spa Race is one of the great classics in motorsport. What is more: it also has a historic dimension for the AMG brand. 45 years ago, the Mercedes-Benz 300 SEL 6.8 AMG conquered victory in its class and thus set the first motorsport milestone in company history.

Two Stages - One Passion: the cooperation between Mercedes-AMG and Linkin Park

With the second joint project, Mercedes-AMG and Linkin Park continue their cooperation that started in 2015 under the motto 'Two Stages - One Passion'. Both share a passion for maximum performance and perfection, on the road and on stage. The Californian rock band and the sports car and performance brand from Affalterbach intend to use their creative potential to captivate the fans around the world with new ideas and projects. As recently as June, the Linkin Park sound ('Papercut' from the album 'Hybrid Theory') provided the perfect music for the launch of the Mercedes-AMG GT3.